• Nick Heidfeld is awful. How did this guy get a ride in an age of favoring younger drivers getting a chance, rather than never-weres that had one already? 
• HRT is an embarrassment, missed the 107% rule. I'd let them anyway, because within 8 seconds of Vettel after ZERO laps all winter until Practice 3 is amazing. 
• Petrov is awesome. Perhaps Renault has improved over the winter, because only Kubica was running with the tier 1 teams last year. What would Kubica be doing in that car that Heidfeld is sucking in right now? 
• Kobayashi into Q3, great job Kamui! Glad Sauber made it in, and with Perez looking good too, hopefully Sauber can make a leap this year. 
• Williams certainly doesn't look likely to improve. Too bad the team needs money so badly. Wonder if Pastor Maldonado will last the entire season. Well I suppose the answer is on the financial books. 

• Webber is "mystified" over how he is almost a second behind Vettel. Here's a clue: he's a world champion and you're not. 
• Button - dumb! How did you think you would not be punished for that move? Yes you were faster than Massa, but it's your job to actually get the pass made. Having seen F1 races before, you should know to give that spot back IMMEDIATELY, before you receive a certain worse punishment. 
• Perez into 7th - way to go kid! ... oh no Sauber is disqualified. It was so nice to see them succeed after a rather poor season in 2010. Sergio Perez deserved to score points in his first race - will have to see if he can come right back and get it next race. 
• Ferrari strategy. What would Massa pit? I don't understand late pit strategies sometimes. Ferrari gave up 3 positions for what, faster tires with 8 laps left. So he passed Buemi for 9th, and later was given 2 more spots for Sauber's expulsion. But he would have crossed the finish line sooner by just losing a second a lap on bad tires for the last 8 laps. 

Q1 - Fascinating that the soft tires knock the times so low at the very end of the session.  Maldonado, come on, bump Webber.  Coming to the finish line…. Yes!  Surely that wouldn’t have happened if Webber was on soft tires, but it’s fascinating nonetheless. 

Q2 - Petrov’s breakdown makes for a wild last two minutes.  Barrichello whines for Petrov to get a penalty, just retire already!  Bring back Hulkenburg!  Both Meredes need to try to get in, Rosberg to Q3 but Schumi No!  Both Torro Rossos and DiResta, way to go kids! Diresta has outqualified Sutil in all 3 GPs so far.  Vettel on pole.

Chinese GP 2011 - Race

C’mon Vettel, no blocking, just go straight faster than anybody else.  Kobayashi great move to take advantage of Petrov’s lockup and the over-under with Alguesuari.  Webber only 1 pass on the 1st lap?  Little did we know at the time that getting the old tires gone early would be the key to an incredible 15 place advance.

Packs of 3-3-4-2 early in the race.  Hamilton-Button-Vettel, Rosberg-Massa-Alonso, DiResta-Sutil-Schumi-Kobayashi, and Alguesueri-Buemi until Petrov and then Heidfeld go by.  Perez passes Barricello and then Webber – I like this kid more and more! 

Button what a mistake – coming into the Red Bull pit box and giving up a position to Vettel.  Then the Ferraris catch Hamilton, and Perez passes Hamilton after pits for a bit of a battle.

How’d Rosberg get out front?  Just by getting onto new tires first?  and Schumacher ahead of Alonso, wtg Mercedes! Mercedes pitting early, Red Bull & McLaren pitting often, and Ferrari & Renault later.  Sauber & Force India also on 2 stop strategies.  Good Massa-Hamilton battle.

All about tire management.  No trouble passing – when have we ever said that in F1!

Great Perez until he took advantage of Sutil going wide in turn 1, Perez slid in there but slid right up into him!  I’ve tried that move in video games often, but that’s the only place it works!

Vettel-Hamilton for the ending.  With 6 laps left it seems sure Hamilton will get it.  Must give credit to Webber.  We have expected this result more times – those 4 teams in out top 8 positions.

Q1 - Super soft times make the end of Q1 a bit of a thrill, Buemi and Maldonado up safely.  The new teams might have a shot at a chance as the last lap begins… but no they are a half a second off.  Alguesuari the sucker of the session.  HRT embarrasses themselves further yet without even an attempt to qualify for the race.

Q2 - Being Monte Carlo, a paradise for richies instead of a racetrack where there is opportunity to pass, qualifying matters much and the strategy of tire conservation is out the window.  The battle to qualify up front is on in Q2!  Perez and Maldonado in with 2 minutes to go, while the top 4 teams in usual order above.  Perez and Maldonado hold it!

Q3 - Oh no Perez is not moving!  He is crunched up against the wall and hasn’t moved since his sideways impact.  …  No time left after they clean the track to get tire temps up, Vettel pole with Hamilton at the tail of the top 9.  Finally a report that Perez is talking about pain in his leg.  Great, I’m just glad he’s alive!

Monaco GP 2011 - Race

Vettel gone early.  Schumacher drops positions off the grid but puts a beautiful move on Hamilton at Station.   Later Hamilton gets in back as omg two world champions effect a beautiful pass and avoidance of a spectacular crash.   During pit stops, what is up with Red Bull and tires?  Unlike them to make a mistake or be so haphazard.   Hamilton too hopeful in hitting Massa, they’re still fighting into the tunnel Massa gets out of line and into the wall.

Vettel Alonso Button.  Alonso closes on Vettel in a hurry with fresher tires, and Button closes on them both with fresher yet.  What might happen in these final few laps….. is all compacted into one splintering corner as Petrov is collected with others in a crash – the leaders squeak by in a millisecond within a few feet of a disaster that could have taken out any or all of them.  During the ensuing red flag teams change tires, so the top three will have no more passes and Vettel wins again.

Canadian Grand Prix 2011

Vettel tops practice yet again.  Glad Massa is in the hunt, hope he can show something in quali.

Canadian GP 2011 - Qualifying

I fell asleep.  Then it was Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren.  No surprises straight down the line, each team’s drivers separated by one position at most.  Glad to see Force India on row six and seven for once this season.

Canadian GP 2011 - Race

So it was a safety car start, not ideal and no standing start to see – but Fox Sports missed it anyway.  Please Fox keep it on your racing channel Speed, because your Fox coverage always skips out on the exciting pre-race.  Being in America as an F1 fan is bad enough without having the race given as small a timeslot as possible.

LOL, way to go Hamilton!  Spinning out Webber to send him to the back, tyvm.   Then with Schumacher, far too anxious.  Then with Button on lap 8, oh Hamilton where is your brain?  Quote Button on the radio, “What is he doing?”

Lap 25 the downpour brings a 2-hour red flag, and my taping ran out, so I have to wait for the re-air Tuesday.

We’re back and F1 is as exciting as ever.  Flying in the wet, a half dozen in for intermediates right away.  More than a half dozen the next lap.

Alonso out and Button in for his fifth pit stop after contact – wretched day for these teams.

Vettel pulls away while Force India wing shards fly, Schumacher presses Webber till he gets an opening, Massa with a monster save after a risky move on slicks in the wet line.

Button passes Schumacher and clocks faster than Vettel.  3 laps and 1.5 seconds behind!  Vettel makes a mistake!!!   The pressure by McLaren works and Vettel leads every lap but the last one – Button goes from last to first!

Force India and Toro Rosso all beat up in practice. 

European GP 2011 - Qualifying

Q1 - Buemi Perez Alguesuari Maldonado – are they all on soft to make it into Q2?  Ultimately so did Massa.  Kovalenien again appears to have a chance to make it into Q2 - Barrichelo & DiResta low with not much time to go.  Schumacher on bubble until going P2, then Webber on bubble until last lap.  Kobayashi gets in after the checkers.  Alguesuari is the loser again.

Q2 - If I were a team putting up a time in the 37s, I’d park it immediately for Q3.  And once Maldonado has transmission trouble (stopping on track) they do.

Q3 - Sutil & Heidfeld elect not to try, rather choose to save tires for race.  Top 4 teams in normal order, Vettel on pole.

British Grand Prix 2011

German Grand Prix 2011

German GP 2011 - Qualifying

Q1 - Schumacher sets the initial mark until Alguesuari comes through on soft tires.  Then Webber on hard.  Sauber waiting late to go out, then put both seemingly safely in with just a few minutes remaining.  Heidfled goes to top on soft tires, then Schumacher shaves 2 seconds off his best hard tire time with a run on soft.  Rosberg advances late and Kobayashi who parked it with 1:33.3 loses at quali this weekend.

Q2 - Seventh through the rest are up for battle as time winds down.  Schumacher Heidfeld DiResta Maldonado Petrove in the mix.  Sutil puts himself in, Petrov makes it too, bumping teammate Heidfeld.  Top 4 teams, Sutil & Petrov to Q3.

Q3 - The views on SpeedTV are incredible.  Overhead, underneath, around the world to some spectacular places. The Ferraris, McLarens and Red Bulls are so fast, no one including Mercedes and Renault can truly challenge when it comes to the final shout.

Everybody coming out with 2 minutes left.  One lap showdown ahead.

Webber & Hamilton end Vettel’s 14-race streak of front row starts.

German GP 2011 - Race

Rain on the grid threatens to cause early spins, but only DiResta lost it on lap 1.  Then Alonso got off line…. lap 9 or so Vettel spun but saved without losing a position

Heidfeld lost his wing, tires and race when trying to go outside Buemi who didn’t budge. Massa took forever to pass Rosberg, and when he did it was a bit rough.

Lap 12-13 Webber moves on Hamilton, who fights back to retake lead on front straight. Tight moment as two come out of the pits as two more hit turn one; three different pit strategies converging in a battle for the lead.

The top runners pit early… sutil button petrov kobayashi could benefit if the rain comes before they need tires. but alas they could not hold out long enough.

Schumacher spins in the same spot as Vettel…. in their home GP, same type of wheel-over-the-edge spin, both saved it… the comparisons will only increase.

Battle for lead would come again at pit exit. Webber to reassume lead as Hamilton exits, but Hamilton stays ahead and pushes him wide on turn two. The next lap it’s the same between Hamilton and Alonso, but on turn two Hamilton takes the outside this time and makes it stick for the lead.  Red Bull Vettel gets Ferrari Massa in the pits on the last lap.

Hungary Grand Prix 2011

The P1 session times adumbrate the power rankings of the Formula 1 teams for 2011. 

• Three teams battling for wins: Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari
• One team securely in fourth: Mercedes
• The battle for fifth-best is between Renault, Force India, and Sauber
• The last of the non-new teams are Toro Rosso and Williams, neither impressing much on speed. 
• Of the three embarrassing teams, Lotus clearly tops Virgin who stays ahead of HRT. 

Belgian Grand Prix 2011

Italian Grand Prix 2011

Singapore Grand Prix 2011

Japanese Grand Prix 2011

Japanese GP 2011 - Qualifying

Korean Grand Prix 2011

Indian Grand Prix 2011

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2011

Brazilian Grand Prix 2011